Chicago #2 Setlist Party
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U2WOJO
The Fly
The best thing to happen this tour was my inability to get GA tickets for Chicago 2 in any of the original presales/onsale. Also glad I resisted buying $106 lower bowl tickets on the corner of the stage holding out hope for a GA drop. By the time the GA drop occurred, I had seen Vegas 2 and LA2 and it was an easy pass for me.
I enjoyed Chicago1, but really nothing overly exciting in the second night that I regret not getting to see. RFD would have been nice, but not worth the cash, time and effort essentially on it's own.
To me, if you are going to give the warhorses a "rest", Beautiful Day, Elevation, One are just as war horsy and no comparison to Bad, New Years Day, Streets, or WOWY in terms of placement on the most significant U2 songs ever list. How about use the brain and I don't know...maybe...ummm...rotate through dropping one of Beautiful Day, Elevation, One and fit in one of the other older "war horses"?
I enjoyed Chicago1, but really nothing overly exciting in the second night that I regret not getting to see. RFD would have been nice, but not worth the cash, time and effort essentially on it's own.
To me, if you are going to give the warhorses a "rest", Beautiful Day, Elevation, One are just as war horsy and no comparison to Bad, New Years Day, Streets, or WOWY in terms of placement on the most significant U2 songs ever list. How about use the brain and I don't know...maybe...ummm...rotate through dropping one of Beautiful Day, Elevation, One and fit in one of the other older "war horses"?
Yeaaa aaaaand they're just not very good at improvising.
trevgreg
Rock n' Roll Doggie
It gets one of the best reactions at the shows I've gone too.
And how often people forget on here that it was only played at 1/3 of the 2015 shows, if that. It's not like it hasn't been given a rest before.
trevgreg
Rock n' Roll Doggie
One got played more as a closing song at the 2015 shows than ISHFWILF... and I got the later at each of the shows I went to. Didn't see One once (no pun intended).
On the other hand, I got Elevation at two of my shows that year when it wasn't even a mainstay at that point.
If we make an effort to go to more than one show, it's always going to be luck of the draw. Even then, it doesn't mean that we'll enjoy the different songs each time either. I saw songs like The Crystal Ballroom and ASOH in the last few years and came away more "meh" than ecstatic about them.
Ironically they're quick as shit in interviews and Bono during live songs on Ellen and Letterman and such, they improv all the time. I know you mean song choices...
But still that's what is frustrating, they COULD DO it. If you just threw 10 random U2 songs at them, they could play them.
Definitely that. But you, I and others have made note of simple rotations that maintain thematic consistency while offering night-to-night variation, which would be relatively easy for them to handle without dropping too much in the way of hits. It's a head scratcher. I may start blaming Gavin Friday soon.
At this point I'd be okay with full on heritage greatest hits tour.
U2WOJO
The Fly
Yeap….it would be better then 15ish of the 24ish songs they are playing all being from the 2000's forward for a band that's best material was in the 80's and 90's (not that there are not certainly enjoyable works of theirs after).
I am waiting for them to dust off their "hit" Get on Your Boots, with Larry on bongos, Edge on a mandolin, and maybe Adam on the harp with a snippet of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine's Get on Your Feet....maybe they can count down in Spanish at some point to really spice things up and get the crowd jacked. Surely they can find a place for such a positive uplifting song to mesh seamlessly into the forward thinking thematic of the experience portion of the set. Perhaps in the dud of a 3 song encore they have settled into? Could they pull off a 2 song closer encore?....cause if they add a song they have to drop 2 (U2 commandment #3 of the 10).
I think the production (i.e. images, lighting, video curtain etc) that goes along with each song in the setlist also plays a major factor in the lack of set list changes. They should simplify the show and get more freedom to change things around.
david
ONE love, blood, life
This setlist is nearly great but there’s something missing...
Nnnnnnah. That's just an excuse.
The majority of the set after intermission is just using filters and can easily be swapped around.
Gonna Run 2 U
New Yorker
As much as U2 try to push their new songs as being among their best because they feel like they’ve improved as song writers and have finally learned how to play (blah blah blah) they still can never beat the fact of life - Nothing beats the old stuff.
trevgreg
Rock n' Roll Doggie
I read this discussion point and reply on just about every band's message board at some point or another, lol. Obviously, it's not just four or five guys playing the 930 Club or Metro at this point...
Funny story. Last week, I went to see a band and there were two opening acts for them. Both the openers were alright and had some decent songs, but it wasn’t too different from the usual opener reception in a smaller club venue: not many people there for them in the first place, no huge applause, people still taking time to get in the venue and settled, etc.
The second band, towards the end of their set, went into an unexpected cover of Gimme Shelter. The crowd, who was mostly there by that point, just came alive… it was like nothing I’d ever really seen at a concert before when the openers were playing. People started singing along, moving around, applauding wildly when one of the guys did a decent job of the Merry Clayton vocal before the final verse.
Overall, they did a solid job and the response was warranted. But I’m guessing part of it had to do with not many people there knowing who the band was, weren’t seeing a covers band or expecting a cover of a classic tune at that particular time, and perhaps more importantly… the fact that it’s a great song that most people there knew already. They could have played more complex stuff or "deep" whatever during their set, but it wasn't going to get as close to a reaction as an established song most of us knew was going to.
U2WOJO
The Fly
I have no problem with the new stuff. I actually enjoy the last couple attempts more then the prior 3 or 4 albums. But the problem is that a U2 should never be 2/3rds material post 2000 even if you don't want to play JT because you did that last year start to finish.
War has so many songs that still having meaning and relevance today (moreso then their new material in many cases). Seconds instead of being Reagan/Gorbachov could be dedicated to Trump and little rocket man or Iran. Boy has several rocking high tempo songs that can energize just as well as Veritgo/Elevation. Actung Baby has so much more to offer then One and Until the End of the World.
War has so many songs that still having meaning and relevance today (moreso then their new material in many cases). Seconds instead of being Reagan/Gorbachov could be dedicated to Trump and little rocket man or Iran. Boy has several rocking high tempo songs that can energize just as well as Veritgo/Elevation. Actung Baby has so much more to offer then One and Until the End of the World.
Yahweh_OMG
New Yorker
Yeah it has Acrobat 
Without it and Gloria, it would be a disaster of a setlist
Without it and Gloria, it would be a disaster of a setlist
You don't think they could play diff songs and not have to completely reinvent the video treatment by instead shooting the band and applying some filters, etc.? Let the show director and camerafolk handle things for a bit. They're not even using the screen for all the songs.
RoKKeR
Refugee
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2013
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I mean, aside from the 2nd side of Joshua Tree that's pretty much what we got last year.
TinKnight
Refugee
Speaking of the Joshua Tree tour, I'm listening to a recording of the Santa Clara show and it sounds really, really good. I remember not being 100% impressed at the time, but damn this is a good show.
Yea. And I'm okay with that.
TinKnight
Refugee
JT30 but longer
The lead-off songs before they started the JT part of the show immediately captured attention. They could maintain that level for 2 hours with the right choice of hits. But I don't trust them to not screw THAT up.
I'd just like to see the band play all of their biggest songs in one tour... cause, ya know, they have a shit ton of classic songs.
TinKnight
Refugee
I would be very happy with a greatest hits tour, with 2-3 rarities sprinkled in randomly on the b-stage.
cause im a prissy, demanding baby
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
I’m pretty much in agreement with you here, but I’m totally down for specialized shows like JT30. Even if that takes away a few hit songs from the tail end. But otherwise... no need to force it.
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